


Long Walk Off a Short Dock

by mrasaki



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Awesome Darcy, Awesome Darcy Lewis, F/F, Prompt Fic, SHIP DARCY WITH ALL THE THINGS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-11 14:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3330017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrasaki/pseuds/mrasaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There weren’t many things that confounded Natasha, but Darcy was one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long Walk Off a Short Dock

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a prompt, but darned if I can remember what or where.

There weren't many things that confounded Natasha, but Darcy was one of them. 

Initially, it seemed like a paradox – on the surface, there wasn't much about Darcy that was confusing at all. She had big dark eyes and a bosom that she used to devastating effect to get into concerts for free and wheedle her way out of speeding tickets. She liked to wear ‘vintage’ clothes found on massive binge shopping trips in thrift stores. She liked Depeche Mode. She had an impressive library of illegally downloaded music that could make Steve Jobs cry, and was one of the few people Natasha had ever seen who’d ever managed to corner Phil Coulson and bully him into recompensing her for her iPod. 

At SHIELD, of all places, one of the most secure locations on Earth. Just how she managed to get in totally undetected before magically appearing out of thin air behind Coulson in the cafeteria and startling him so badly that he dropped his soup of the day, was a mystery for the ages and also an urban legend passed down in hushed whispers to each new class of junior agents.

Coulson had never recompensed anyone before. Coulson had never allowed himself to be _bullied_ before. Coulson had never dropped his soup before, either.

Natasha was officially impressed.

Somehow, Darcy became the de facto intern of the Avengers – which, the Avengers didn't actually need an intern, but Jane was a constant visitor to the Tower and Darcy was kind of like a purse poodle, part and parcel of Jane, the beloved of Thor, and at some point Darcy had just…stayed.

As Clint sometimes observed, once you fed them, you could never get rid of them. At the time, he’d been talking about the pigeons that were the bane of the Stark Tower rooftop landing pad and windows.

The first time she visited, Darcy went sniffing into the kitchen and was exclaiming over Stark’s stash of ramen, hot pockets, and also Kraft Easy Mac (because no matter how JARVIS stocked the pantry, Stark had the eating habits of a bankrupt college student) when Natasha stalked up behind her in total cat-like silence. She stood there only feet away, watching Darcy stuff what looked like the entire contents of the pantry into her voluminous grad student purse. 

Darcy turned. “Oh hey,” she said, not even gracing Natasha with a gratifying jump or shriek of surprise. Then, her gaze traveling further down, her eyebrows rose and her lips, painted boldly red, curved upwards in an appreciative leer. “ _Heeeey_. Damn girl, those are seriously bodacious.”

Natasha had no words for that, not even to question if anyone even used the word _bodacious_ anymore. She retreated in silence to regroup.

(“Well, she didn’t lie.” Which proved beyond doubt that Clint was terrible at giving comfort. He yelped as she punched him in the arm. It wasn't a playful rabbit punch, either.)

After a lot of thought and watching Darcy as she came and went (but mostly came), and ate their food and watched their cable (“Fucking hell to the yeah!” Darcy proclaimed when she discovered that Stark Tower received literally every channel in the world. “If I were an Avenger the world would freakin’ burn because I am never leaving this couch.”) Natasha decided that what fascinated her about Darcy was that Darcy wasn't afraid of anyone.

This included Natasha. Natasha wasn't used to this feeling, at least not from civilians who should know better. Darcy sassed the Hulk, left post-its with special commentary on Fury’s written grammar on his desk, talked JARVIS into locking Stark out of his lab so the man could get some sleep, and there was the incident with Coulson. Predictably, Clint adored her.

Natasha didn't know how to feel about this. Didn't know what to think about this brash young woman who feared nothing and nobody – or at least, faked it so convincingly that no one could tell the difference.

She especially didn't know what to think when Darcy said, “Okay, so don’t kill me,” and leaned over the couch at Natasha’s face. Natasha had two seconds, two very long seconds in which she thought of ten scenarios of how this would play out, that ranged the spectrum from a fractured arm to Darcy lying dead on the floor, her neck neatly broken. But in those two seconds, Natasha realized she had an eleventh option.

Darcy’s lips were soft, slick with lipstick. She smelled of strawberries and mint. She hummed as she pulled back, blinking those dark, dark eyes and tucking a lock of her long, shining hair behind her ear. Her lipstick was smudged and Natasha knew without touching her face that hers was too, and she didn't care in the least.

Darcy cast her eyes down with a demure innocence so faked that it was hilarious. “So, sexy lady. I couldn't help but notice that I'm not dead, so….?” She gestured with her head towards the elevator.

Natasha finally found her words. “You are a very strange person,” she said, and Darcy burst into loud laughter, bright against the quiet afternoon. 

“What're you talking about, I'm the new normal,” she replied, and took Natasha’s hand.


End file.
